Tagged With choice

Consumer watchdog Choice has sent a "super complaint" to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) about the airline sector which it accuses of dodging myriad consumer laws - especially when it comes to the terms and conditions for online bookings. Here are five ways Aussie airlines currently mislead and rip off customers, as outlined by Choice.

With Christmas rapidly approaching, many shoppers are looking to pick up popular gift ideas like drones, smartphones and slow cookers for their loved ones. Unfortunately, some items aren't safe and should not be purchased under any circumstances. Consumer watchdog Choice recently named and shamed a range of products that were recalled due to safety concerns in 2016. Here are 12 to avoid putting under your Christmas tree.

The Shonky Awards have just wrapped up. There were winners and those winners were losers. All-in-all it was a good day for publically shaming some of Australia's top brands for misleading consumers and misrepresenting their products.

Personally I'm just happy that Pringles got called out for its terrible decision to move to a box I can't get my goddamn hands inside.

Earlier this week, we reported that some HP printers had started rejecting replacement ink cartridges that aren’t manufactured by the vendor. Consumer rights advocacy group CHOICE is now investigating HP for potentially breaching Australian Consumer Laws. Read on to find out more.

To paraphrase Kate McCartney from The Katering Show, the Thermomix is a futuristic saucepan presumably spawned in a gangbang of different cooking appliances. It also has a tendency to explode without warning on its owners, causing horrific second-degree burns.

Following a mass incident report by consumer advocacy group CHOICE, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is launching an official investigation. This means you might finally be able to get that refund on your overpriced kitchen doodad.

Telstra is known to charge its customers more for its telecommunications services and has been getting away with it by being the "premium" provider. The telco boasted reliable services and excellent coverage across Australia, often being the only provider of mobile phone or internet that can service remote areas. But with the recent string of network outages, can Telstra continue to charge more for its services? Just how much more are Telstra customers forking out? Consumer group Choice has done an extensive pricing comparison. Read on to find out.

Motivation can be tricky, but studies show that there's one important factor that can be hugely effective in cultivating it: Making decisions. As psychologist and author Angela Duckworth explains, this is why it's important to offer people choices when you're trying to motivate them.

Earlier in the month, an Australian woman suffered horrific second-degree burns to her chest, arms and stomach when her Thermomix cooking appliance unexpectedly burst open. Now, CHOICE is launching Australia's first mass incident report with plans to take the matter to the ACCC.

Everyone's been a recipient of a gift that doesn't work, something that doesn't perform as functioned or maybe you've been given an item that's actually been recalled. If that's the case, it's worth brushing up on your statutory rights under the Australian Consumer Law — because most salespeople don't know them.

Consumer watchdog CHOICE recently conducted tests on six popular sunscreens with a SPF rating of 50+. Surprisingly, only two brands actually met the claimed protection rating, with the others ranging between SPF42 and SPF29. This infographic names and shames the products that failed to deliver on their promise.

Maybe you've never had a bad experience returning a dodgy TV or gadget. Good for you! Unfortunately, very few of us fall into this lovely demographic and have endured the run-around from both online and bricks-and-mortar stores. Turns out almost half of Aussie electronics retailers are guilty of having staff with no idea of what rights consumers have.

Today, consumer watchdog Choice named and shamed the worst products and companies of the year at the 10th annual Shonky Awards. From "flushable" wet wipes that caused sewerage blockages to spontaneously combusting washing machines, these are the dodgiest Australian products of 2015.

Would you freak out if you received a piracy warning letter? Apparently, most Aussies don't seem to care. A new national survey released by the Federal Government has ranked infringement notices as the least effective method of preventing illegal downloads. Only 20 per cent of respondents said they would stop pirating if they received a cease-and-desist letter from their ISP; even if they were threatened with an account suspension.

Many people buy free range eggs because they believe the hens producing them have a better quality of life. A new investigation by consumer advocate CHOICE reminds us that the term "free range" is ill-defined and frequently misused, so it's no basis for making shopping choices.

If you're renting a car, it seems prudent to pay to reduce the excess as well — who wants to be stuck with a huge bill if there's an accident? However, you may well be better off relying on travel insurance instead.

Consumer watchdog CHOICE has released the results of an investigation into the online travel insurance policies offered by Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin. It found that auto-selecting a policy when purchasing a plane ticket often resulted in a higher price tag and a raft of sneaky exclusions. Tellingly, most policies gave customers just ten minutes to review a 14,000 word document before the connection timed out.

Earlier today, Lifehacker attended CHOICE's 9th annual Shonky Awards, where Australia's most misleading, shoddy and unsafe products are named and shamed. From rip-off bank accounts for kidds to self-disintegrating cosies, these are the dodgiest Australian products of 2014.

The CHOICE "Shonky Awards" have named and shamed the dodgiest consumer products of 2014, with Thermomix "winning" the consumer vote by a landslide. The once-loved kitchen appliance received more nominations than any product in the award's nine-year history. Hell hath no fury like a Thermo fan scorned.

Consumer advocate CHOICE has consistently argued that Australians get a raw deal when it comes to digital media. Unfortunately, the crux of its argument often consists of comparing entirely different products, which diminishes intelligent discussion on an important issue.